The popular Web-site builder Wix has inked a deal with Google to help small business customers install branded Google Apps.

Wix, which lets individuals and businesses build sites in HTML5 via an app market and drag-and-drop editor, announced Thursday that its partnership with Google will allow small businesses to sign up for Google Apps with one click. A subsequent two-click process will set up and brand apps -- including Gmail and Google Drive -- for companies.

"Branded email has been one of our most frequently requested features, and it was this that led to our decision to integrate Google Apps for our customers," said Wix's director of communications, Eric Mason. "[W]e stripped out the complex administration issues typified by setting up a branded email separately."

Related stories:

The site builder runs on a freemium model, but the Google Apps integration will be made available only to paying customers. The package will cost $4.95 per month on a monthly basis, or $4.08 per month on a 12-month plan. Each additional e-mail address will cost businesses the same.

Wix claims that 1.3 million new free and paid customers join its current user base of 33 million each month, while Google Apps serves more than 5 million businesses, according to the Wix press release. Wix has gained 23 million of its users since 2011.

About the author

Senior writer Seth Rosenblatt covered Google and security for CNET News, with occasional forays into tech and pop culture. Formerly a CNET Reviews senior editor for software, he has written about nearly every category of software and app available.
See full bio